Nightingale
by Natalie Jay
Summary: Bella and Edward have been through a range of different confrontations,but this one might be the most damaging.Their strongest test and their worst nightmare is about to occur,can true love really last for all eternity?[part of chapter 3 up.]
1. Preface

_Author's Note: My first-ish fan fiction. I made another one, but I just stopped. Lol. So, I plan to finish this time. Constructive criticism would be great, so I guess that means R/R? Sorry it's so short, but it's the Preface. I need to put more detail in, but whatever. Enjoy?_

_Um…I edited this a bit, but not much. I didn't like some of the wording so, yeah. Lol._

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, New Moon, or any of their characters.**_

**Preface**

I opened my eyes to a dim green forest, slightly muddled. Why wasn't I at home with Charlie? Sitting up, I noticed that the sunrays slashing through the canopy above were distorting my surroundings. Everything was covered in odd shadows and only visible through impossible angles. The musty smell of tree bark, grass, and moss was overpowering; my nose twitched. I started to get anxious; I shouldn't be this deep into a wooded area alone.

An anomalous tension was in the air. My stomach contorted into new shapes and my breathing grew shallow as I watched arbitrary dust motes in the air. The only sound was a gentle rustle of leaves from the slight wind that was blowing. What made me the most nervous out of anything was that it was silent. Dead silent. I felt like I was sitting in a grave, trying desperately to get through permafrost that was too stubborn to melt away. A pair of eyes were on me; it made my skin ripple with goose bumps.

The dampness of the ground began to seep through my clothes, but I dared not move. Something was waiting for me, something terrible. I could feel it to the marrow of my bones that this thing, whatever it was, wanted to hurt me.

I was breathing harder now, the air barely filling my lungs before it was squeezed back out, with my mouth dangling open. There was a distinct taste of metal at the back of my throat when I whispered my only hope to who it would be.

"Edward?"

The whisper was hoarse and hollow, a void of all meaning. I hoped dearly that it was only Edward, but this hope was a vain one. And I knew that; Edward wouldn't hurt me.

A cold, stone hand closed over my arm with bruising force and a musical chuckle rang through the air. The chuckle, while musical, was absolutely sinister. It was in a minor chord that dirges have, a song about anger and envy and death. A gust of air stuck in my throat.

A pair of soft, cloud-pillow lips came to my ear, "No, darling, it's not Edward,"

I turned in shock to see a lovely vampire staring back at me with hate-filled eyes. It had come here to kill me. When it saw this thought register in my eyes, its in turn grew mocking and the chuckle ran throughout the trees again. Its eyes were an unquenchably cold, coal black.

Thirsty.


	2. Guest

_Author's Note: Thanks for the feedback, guys! This chapter is longer than the last, I'm not going to go into too much detail. Lol. It's not that great, but I had to get the ball rolling, as they say. Oh! Side note: this story takes place a little after New Moon. _

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, New Moon, or any of their characters.**_

**Chapter 1: Guest**

The sweet aroma of flowers drifted up from the jam-packed earth. The scent was mingling with the mustiness of grass, which relaxed me. I lie on my stomach and spread my arms up above my head. The sun's delicate tendrils slowly spread warmth all over my body, starting from my back and radiating out. Little pinpricks became visible on my skin as the shock of the warmth made me shiver. I could feel the dewdrops mixing with my hair and sticking to my eyelashes.

Ah, the meadow. His. Mine. Ours. It was so great to be back in this enchanting place with my Edward. Today was the first day I had been allowed out of the house since my little escapade to Italy, and Edward had chosen to take me here. We had a little trouble convincing Charlie that my first permissible day with Edward should be out instead of at home, but Edward's sister, Alice, had the amazing ability of charming Charlie. Our only setback was that I had to be home at eight, no exceptions. But, I could deal with that if it meant spending the day with Edward in our meadow.

I closed my eyes and sighed. I listened to the babbling of a brook nearby and the crackle of leaves. I got lost in the performance behind my eyelids: the dancing of neon colors as they intermixed and separated again. The partners were ever changing and something dissimilar always took the lead.

I pair of marble arms wrapped around my waist and tenderly turned me to my side. I opened one eye and peeked up at Edward; when he saw me do so, he smiled. The sun glinted off of his teeth, creating a thousand specks of iridescent glitter in the air. His lips bent down to the hollow beneath my ear.

"I thought you were sleeping," he whispered as his mouth traveled down the length of my neck.

"No," I paused, trying to calm my sporadic heartbeats. "No, I was just enjoying the sun."

"As was I," he murmured as he pulled me to his chest.

He began to hum my lullaby as we lay there. Sometimes he would stop short and kiss my neck or my shoulder, then he would pick up the melody again. We stayed there for an immeasurable amount of time. It was the kind of moment that felt like hours and seconds, days and years, but which one you couldn't know until it was over. The light from the sun began to fade behind the trees surrounding us and he stopped humming.

"Let's go back to my house," Edward suggested as he stood. His voice was a low mumble; it went well with the twilight atmosphere. "I'm sure they'll want to see you."

They were his family. I had grown fond of them all, especially Alice. She was the sister I never had. Hopefully, though, she would become my sister soon--if Edward changed me. You see Edward and his family weren't like most. Besides being stunningly gorgeous and intensely intelligent, they had a strange aura around them. Everyone subconsciously made an invisible wall between them and the Cullens, some kind of preservation that all humans had. All humans, except me. Edward and the rest of his family were, as hard as it is to believe, vampires. They were real, undead vampires that had a different lifestyle than most of their kind.

I stood and hopped onto his sturdy back. He turned and asked if I was ready, I nodded in reply. Then, he was off. Edward and I traveled most places by running—well, Edward was running, I just hopped on for the ride. His superhuman speed used to terrify me, but now it was exhilarating. As we cut through the underbrush I heard branches whistle through the air, like when a child whips a long twig around to make a high-pitched echo.

The wind burned my eyes and made them water, and the cool bursts of air made me shake. I felt so alive--everything was in sharp focus. I could feel every molecule of water in the air, could smell every speck of dirt. A laugh rang throughout the woods that was velvet soft and oh-so beautiful. Edward turned his head so I could see his lopsided grin, and I began to laugh as well.

Then everything stopped. We had arrived at his secluded white mansion in record time. Joyous, I jumped off his back and grabbed his hand. He smiled again and led me to the door.

"I should warn you," he said, amused, "they went over-the-top."

I groaned. There went my good mood.

He chuckled and kissed my forehead, "Be good, please."

I gave him a little smile and nodded, then walked through the door. Over the top was right. All the entranceways were covered in bright red and pink balloons, streamers were everywhere, and glitter dusted the floor. The large home looked as decorated as it had on my birthday; the memory of that night made me frown. Bad memories were soon forgotten, though, when I walked through the foyer and a huge sign greeted me. "Welcome home, Bella!" it read. I staggered when I examined the word "home". I was more than flattered that they considered me apart of their lovely family, but I didn't deserve them. How could I ever deserve such generous people? I couldn't, I was only human after-all. All of their lovely faces were there, watching me: Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Jasper, Alice…and Rosalie.

A pressure began to build under my eyes and to my dismay I began to cry. They all rushed around me in an instant.

"Bella, what's wrong?"

"Are you okay?"

"Do you want to go home?"

"No, I'm fine. It's just…" how could I explain how I felt? How gracious I was that they considered me apart of this glorious family?

"It's just--thank you." I sniffled.

Esme laced her arm around my shoulder, "Of course, Bella, dear,"

The rest of them nodded as if agreeing with Esme. I looked over at Edward, trying to apologize for my sudden outburst of emotion, but he just gave me an encouraging smile. I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand, and proceeded into the living room.

Alice bounded up and kissed me on my cheek.

"Hey, Bells!"

She had taken great enjoyment calling me Bells after spending so much time with Charlie. She linked her arm through mine and pulled me away from Edward. I'm sure I looked just as bewildered as he did, because she added, "I'm showing Bella her welcome-home present."

Edward didn't seem to have any objections to that, so he followed us into the dining room where a large, ornate chest was waiting on the table. The others gather around us as well; I felt like a puppy on display.

"Well? Open it!" Alice enthused.

I glanced over at Edward who took my hand and glided me over to the chest. He placed my hand over the latch and nodded for me to continue. I unhooked the bolt, burdened by my own curiosity. I carefully lifted the lid and peered inside. At first glance I would have thought nothing was contained, the chest was very deep and the bottom was covered in darkness. But, when I reached my hand to probe the foundation of this treasure chest, I found three small, rectangular boxes, waiting to be opened.

I turned to Edward in horror. _No, no! He didn't…_He sighed and opened each box for me. Yes. Yes, he had. The first of the velvet boxes held a contemporary three-stone ring. Its rounded stones glittered up at me, taunting me to guess their price. The silver that held the stone was curved into arks and spirals, more bold and modern than any ring I had ever seen. The second box contained seven round diamonds, each growing in size. I was confused as to why they had just gotten me set of diamonds instead of jewelry, but I understood when I picked up the delicate necklace. The last, and perhaps the most gorgeous, was a vintage ring. Half of its band was set in diamonds and another encircling set was mounted on top. Inside this ring was a teardrop diamond.

I was about to tear up again.

"I can't accept this," I croaked.

Edward gently removed the necklace from my hands and walked behind me. His strong arms tenderly draped around my shoulders and put on the necklace for me. I shook my head; I couldn't let him buy me these things.

"I know it's a little cliché," he whispered in my ear, "but, please, indulge us."

"Oh come on, Bella! Diamonds are a girl's best friend."

I turned in surprise at Rosalie. She was actually acknowledging me. When she saw me turn around, she gave me a tentative smile. I smiled back. Maybe I could have another sister to look forward to.

A thrill of shock rocked us all when we heard a pounding on the door. Edward went rigid, but the rest were elated.

"Lighten up, Edward," Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"Delightful," mused Carlisle.

Edward turned a scowl onto everyone in his family, but they all disregarded him. Carlisle walked to the entryway of the dining room.

"Let's welcome our guest in, shall we?" he motioned for Esme to take his hand.

We all filed through the doorway and stood in the foyer. Edward tightened his grip around my waist.

"Who is it?" I whispered.

Before he could answer, they walked through the door.


	3. Old Friends

_Author's Note: Okay, so this chapter isn't as good as the last. It's not as detailed and whatever so... sorry. Lol. I hope you enjoy it all the same._

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, New Moon, or any of their characters.**_

**Chapter 2: Old Friends**

Four glorious vampires bounded through the door and came to a halt to absorb their surroundings. All of their gazes turned to me with a quizzical look. They looked at Edward's arm around my waist, trying to comprehend the obvious affection between us. The eldest one, who looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties, gained his composure the quickest. He reminded me of a slightly older Laurent, although his face looked compassionate instead of cruel. The others followed suit except for one girl standing to his right, away from the rest.

She was the most gorgeous out of all of them, perhaps almost as gorgeous as Rosalie. Her hair was a chestnut brown and wavy to the middle of her back. Under feather-duster lashes, her eyes, though golden like the rest, were clearer somehow, and sparkled in the warm lighting of the home. Her lips were pout-y and I imagined they were cloud-pillow soft. There was a faint blush in her cheeks, deeper than the rest of the vampires surrounding me, and her neck was long like a swan's. She was tall and thin, but had curves in the right places, and wore impeccable clothing. I immediately felt a pang of jealousy.

Her evident shock slowly turned into a bland, emotionless mask, as she looked me over. She was blatantly satisfied with my ordinariness. I felt very uncomfortable under her scrutiny, and I felt as if Edward felt the same. His body was immovable as I tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but I soon gave up. He wasn't going to let go.

"Lucas! My old friend, welcome!" Carlisle exclaimed as he grasped the eldest in a fierce hug.

"Carlisle," he grinned, "We were moving and decided we should stop by for a visit. Who's this?" He gestured to me with the tilt of his head.

Carlisle looked at me.

"Bella," I said holding out my hand and trying to move forward, but Edward still had me in his stone grasp. Exasperated, I contented with a wave. Lucas' smile was an understanding one.

"Is she a new friend of yours, Edward?" that question came from the other female, with platinum blonde hair.

Emmett laughed, "Oh, I'd say she's more than a friend."

Alice elbowed him while I turned scarlet from my hairline to my toes. The gorgeous brunette gaped at me. Was it that unbelievable?

"Oh," said the blonde. The others were visibly surprised as well.

"How do you manage?" the voice came from the other male that had a shock of raven-black hair atop his head. His voice was slightly amused.

Edward growled; he didn't find the question very amusing at all. The boy raised his eyebrows in surprise or disbelief, I couldn't be sure which, at the challenge, but a smirk remained on his face.

Trying to clear the tension in the room, Esme announced Edward would be playing his piano shortly, can everyone please gather in the living room? Edward looked at Esme then pulled me along by the hand. We sat at his grand piano and waited for everyone else to be seated.

When everyone was comfortable, he began to play. The song was lovely, but it was angry and more like a requiem instead of the soft cadences of my lullaby. I had never known he could play the piano with such brutality and tenderness, hatred and love. On and on he played, he seemed to be making the melody up as he went along. His nostrils flared as the last notes came to a bitter end, and closed his eyes. He looked down at his hands then at me.

"I should take you home, it's getting late."

"Okay," I didn't argue with him, he didn't need my stubbornness right now, and I didn't want to be observed all night by this new family.

"Why, Edward, we haven't gotten to play with your little pet, yet. Can't she stay any longer?" the brunette walked over and grinned when Edward darted a dagger glance her way.

"No, Amelia," he growled through tight lips.

She turned and patted me on the head, "She's a good girl. Yes, she is," she said in a mocking tone.

Edward grabbed her wrist and bared his teeth, thought better of it, and pushed her away. Her laughter rang throughout the house as Edward grabbed my waist and propelled us out the door.

-----

On the way to Charlie's house Edward didn't say a word. His hands were clenched around the steering wheel and his breathing ragged. I was struggling to think of a light subject to discuss, but I couldn't come up with anything.

I was too preoccupied with the incident myself to make small conversation. The menace with which she taunted me replayed in my mind's eye. Everything on Amelia's face had been dead and cold except for her eyes, which had danced with excitement and glee.

I fingered my new necklace; already it was becoming a cornerstone in my life. I realized that we had forgot my rings, but decided not to tell Edward. He probably already knew and was think of a way to get them to me. A light drizzle started to fall and the windows soon turned fuzzy in its presence. Edward turned on the windshield wipers and the steady thump consumed what was left of my thought process.

Bits of gravel flung out from under the tires, making a soft plink on the wet asphalt. The clouds overhead was fading from periwinkle blue to a darker steel gray; a storm was imminent.

We lifted over a small bump as Edward pulled into the driveway. He took the back of my hand and kissed it softly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. He looked up at me and his eyes were pained.

"It wasn't your fault."

And it wasn't. I still didn't know why she had decided to ridicule me that way. I could think of no plausible explanation as to why this stranger didn't like me. She didn't know me at all.

Edward didn't look convinced by my statement, so I asked the only thing I could think of.

"Who are they?"

"Some old friends," he paused, "Lucas and Carlisle met in Italy. Lucas was the one who inspired Carlisle to reform, although Lucas didn't abstain completely from humans," he glanced at me, "After Carlisle's reformation, though, Lucas decided he should live like his pupil, and began his new life. After a few years he met Clara, the blonde one you saw, and found Isaiah and Amelia," he sneered the last name.

"How do you know them?" I inquired; Edward was changed long after Carlisle had lived in Italy.

"We run into them every decade or so; we're like distant relatives in a sense," one corner of his lip lifted.

"I see," I was trying to calculate all the information, but I still couldn't comprehend why Amelia had shown such a sudden hatred towards me.

"You better go, Charlie is spying out the window,"

I rolled my eyes. My dad was just as stubborn as me sometimes. Edward leaned over to unlock my door, but I needed to know one more thing before I left. I'd been picking my brain for reasons why someone might not like me, and I could only think of one--one precious reason why anyone would hate me so suddenly, without even knowing me.

"Edward?"

"Hm?"

I hesitated, what if I upset him? "Did you and Amelia ever…"

I trailed off as he became still.

"Bella?" Charlie called.

Edward swiftly kissed my cheek and motioned for me to go. I stepped out of the car, still battling with the question that I couldn't quite get out of my head.


	4. Spy

_Author's Note:_ _Okay, so this is a little different than the other chapters, it's not from Bella's point of view, yet. It's more of a third person POV, actually. Just, thought I'd tell you so you wouldn't get confused, lol. And, I realize this is extremely short. This isn't the whole chapter, though, I still need to write it from Bella's POV, so... yeah. I just felt like updating._

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, New Moon, or any of their characters.**_

**Chapter 3: Spy**

She ran in and out of the dark trees, smelling the air for burning rubber and the scent of a certain human girl. When she found the house she was looking for, she slipped among the shadows, disappearing into the landscape. A peal of thunder bounced off the trees and the wet ground. The clouds opened up and raged their fury by pouring waterfalls upon the earth.

The human was standing as still as she could on the stoop of the house, a confused look on her face; so ordinary and absolutely plain. A pallid skin tone and ratty, mahogany hair could not possibly lure such an exceptional vampire as Edward Cullen.

No, there had to be something more to his little pet that she didn't know about. Something had to be extraordinary about this little mouse of a girl.

The girl stepped into the small house. She took this as a chance to get closer, to examine the pet's habits. She peered into a window at the back of the house and saw the human grab a bowl from the cupboard. She ducked away and ran back to the reclusive white home, preparing an apology.

It had been a mistake insulting his little amusement when he obviously cared so much about her, but the jealousy had gotten the best of her. She was in control now. Her temper was going to cost her; she wasn't about to win over anyone with an attitude and foul mouth.

She had to be as sweet as she possibly could. That's what the human seemed to do. She would study the girl, watch and mimic. Hopefully she could intensify the traits that Edward liked the best. Yes, she would transform into his perfect woman; his perfect _vampire_. After he fell head over heels for her, he would have no use for this human, this pest. And after he left the girl, she could finish her off.

After-all, what was another human to a thirsty vampire?


End file.
